Story by Kyle Almond, CNN
For decades, the giant panda has frustrated scientists desperate to save the species from extinction.
The iconic bears, native to China and beloved around the world, have been famously hard to breed.
But after years of trial and error, things are starting to turn around. The wild panda population is rising, and the species was recently taken off the endangered list, largely thanks to the efforts of Chinese conservationists.
“They sort of cracked the code,” said photographer Ami Vitale, whose new book “Panda Love” documents the country’s efforts to breed pandas in captivity and release them into the wild.